SHOW REVIEW: New Found Glory Brought Your Favorite On Screen Tracks Live To Playstation Theater
SHOW REVIEW: New Found Glory Brought Your Favorite On Screen Tracks Live To Playstation Theater
Support from Doll Skin, The Early November and Real Friends
Words and Images by: James Dicks
On June 11th, New Found Glory brought the cinema to Playstation Theater with their latest release From the Screen to Your Stereo 3. This album comes as the third installment in which the guys cover famous songs from blockbuster movies like Back To The Future, Frozen and Shrek 2. However, before the feature presentation we had to enjoy a couple of previews… in the form of Doll Skin, The Early November and Real Friends.
Doll Skin kicked off this night to remember – to call this four piece “alt-rock powerhouses” would be an understatement. Their energy was undeniable but what makes Doll Skin a ‘must see’ is their interactive nature with the crowd. From jumping down to the fans to sing the lyrics along side them to actually playing songs in the crowd – there is never a dull moment when these ladies hit the stage.
Next to the stage was The Early November – an instant crowd pleaser. The crowd had no time to rest as the guys quickly got the whole venue jumping along to fan favorite tracks like, “Tell Me Why“, “Baby Blue” and “I Want To Hear You Sad“.
Now it was time for Real Friends – despite a few technical difficulties, they powered through to deliver an incredible set. Frontman Dan Lambton took a moment to talk about when he fell in love with The Starting Line at Warped Tour when he was 16 – and since this is basically a cover show – decided to pay homage to them with a cover of “Island“.
Finally it was time for the main event – New Found Glory. Playing in what used to be a vintage movie theater, it was only fitting that they came out to one of the most iconic movie anthems to date – “Eye Of The Tiger” – with Jordan appropriately dressed as Rocky Balboa. The energy erupted in the room as the guys played a heathy mix of original tracks and covers. But soon Jordan needed a brief break, which was when Queen Elsa made an appearance. She belted out her hit, “Let It Go“, to a room full of screaming fans who sang is right back, but being a Queen is obviously quite demanding so she couldn’t stay for long. As Jordan made his way back to the stage, Chad told him that he just missed the Queen, understandably, he was quite upset.
As the night carried on, Chad took a moment to thank the crowd for being so supportive over the years, and that the night in particular marked the 22 year anniversary of NFG’s first ever gig. Therefore, it made sense that for such a special night there would be special guests as well. William Ryan Key [former frontman of Yellowcard] helped fuel these silver screen hits by providing backing vocals and adding an extra dose of guitar to the music, while tossing out popcorn to the crowd because after all, NFG put on The Great Show On Earth.
But to put on a production like the guys of New Found Glory, it’s definitely a team effort. Real Friends guitarist, Dave Knox, came out to help his headlining pals with backing guitar as Key handled the keys for New Found Glory‘s iconic, “It’s Not Your Fault“.
As the night was coming to a close, Jordan had one final costume change – returning as the legendary Marty Mcfly from the cult classic, Back To The Future. Equipped with his own hover-board, the guys belted out one final cover, “The Power Of Love“, before closing the show with “My Friends Over You” – complete with confetti canons.
There’s a reason why New Found Glory hold such a respected legacy in the pop-punk scene – not only do they put on a one of a kind show, but they have created a community that has now gone on to thrive through generations. As we get older, we want to be able to share our music with our families – what better way to do that than to have New Found Glory create a much more bearable version of “Let It Go” we’ll gladly listen to 1,000x.
